The rise of Australia’s talented UFC prospect Jamie Mullarkey came to a shuddering halt at UFC Vegas 74 on Sunday when the gifted lightweight prospect copped a devastating knockout defeat.
Mullarkey was fighting a last-minute replacement in Tajikistani debutant Muhammad Naimov, the biggest underdog on the entire card at around $4.50 odds after being called up only on Tuesday.
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But Naimov wasn’t daunted by the long odds, and came out firing bombs in a back-and-forth opening couple of rounds. Mullarkey used his rangy jab well and seemed to be marginally on top, landing 43 strikes to Naimov’s 20 midway through the second round.
But as Mullarkey backed up his opponent and marched in on a take-down feint, he was caught with a thunderous counter right hook that landed flat on the chin and sent the Australian crashing to the canvas.
Naimov leapt to finish the bout with a couple of extra shots on his downed opponent, with the referee quickly stepping in to end the fight at 2:59 in the second round.
It was 28-year-old Mullarkey’s sixth loss in his MMA career to go with his 16 wins, and ends a two-fight win streak that saw him threaten to rise into the rankings.
For the former Contender Series fighter Naimov, it was a first UFC win on his debut, taking him to 9-2 overall.
“The last three years have been a really hard time,” Naimov said. “Three years, I carried a lot of things in this sport. Today it pays off. A lot of people wait for this debut. Nobody believed I can beat this lightweight. Featherweight, you guys have a problem. You guys have a big problem.
“You guys have a new king. That short guy [Alexander Volkanovski], Max Holloway, forget about them. I’m here.”
Such is the popularity of UFC in Tajikistan that thousands of fans gathered in a football stadium to watch the bout – despite it taking place after 4am local time.
